Navigating The Virtual Meeting

You will receive an access link via email the week of the event, and will be able to access the event when virtual doors open the day of the event. You will also receive a reminder by email shortly before the event starts.

Just like an in-person event, you can choose where you want to go and what you’d like to attend. In the reception area you will find the complete agenda showing what is happening where. You will also find an overview of the different event areas, and further details about the event.

Reception Area

After logging into Hopin and entering the meeting, you’ll find yourself in the reception tab.  Check here for meeting information such as important announcements, and the day’s schedule.  From here, you’ll be able to jump to all of the meeting’s main areas.

Main Stage

The stage tab is where the majority of presentations will be held, and allows attendees to view presentation broadcasts, ask questions during live Q&A sessions, and participate in the group chat will other attendees.

Sessions

The Sessions tab is a collection of virtual chat rooms, where attendees can gather to attend break-out sessions, and partake in video, audio, or text based chat.

Expo

The Expo tab will feature virtual booths and special on-demand content such as event replays and educational content.

Communicating

There are multiple ways to chat and connect at this year’s Virtual Meeting:

• Event chat — this tab shows the global event chat where all participants can post messages.
• Session chat — each session in Sessions has its own chat room. Attendees who are off-camera can chat in the session chat to interact with people on camera and vice-versa.
• Direct Messages — anyone can send messages to an individual at the meeting via DMs in the People tab. To send a DM, find the person you wish to chat with in the People tab, click their profile photo, and send a direct message to them.
• Private Video Chat — When Viewing an attendee’s profile, you can invite them to a private video chat.  This will generate a link to a private video chatroom.

Attendee Quick Reference Guide (Troubleshooting Tips)

• Join from a compatible browser. Hopin works best on Chrome or Firefox.  Pro tip: Make sure your browser is up to date.
• Check your internet speed and network.  We recommend a minimum of 5mbps download and 2mbps upload. Ideally, we like to see 30mbps download and 10mbps upload or higher for the best quality – test your speed here
• If you are using a VPN (network) or device provided by your employer, ensure your device can access and share your camera and microphone on.
• Ensure you can access hopin.to. You may have to check with your IT department if using a device or network provided by your employer.
• Restart your computer before joining the event. This ensures that there are no other video applications holding onto audio or video for any reason.
• Please use headphones when participating on-screen.  This will help eliminate echo and feedback.

Webcam Tips

As long as you have access to a computer with a webcam and microphone, you have everything you need to participate in the video networking at this year’s meeting.  But to help you look and sound your best, here are a few tips and best practices we recommend when presenting online.

• Make sure you setup in a private or quiet room, free from distractions, and with a reliable internet connection.

• Avoid sitting in front of bright backgrounds (such as windows).  This can cause your camera to automatically dim the image, making you harder to see.  Instead, try and position a light source in front of you, so you are well lit, and the center of attention.

• Speaking of backgrounds, remember that people can see what’s behind you.  Make sure what they can see is clean, and non-distracting.

• Camera placement has a big impact on how you look during a video conference.  Position your camera or laptop screen on a sturdy surface (not your lap) with the camera around eye level.

• Before appearing on camera, close any unnecessary windows, tabs or programs that you may have open on your computer.  It also may be a good idea to see if your computer has any pending updates a day or so before your presentation, just in case.

• When presenting, sit up straight, speak clearly into your microphone, and try to avoid checking yourself out too much on the computer screen, keeping your eyes on the camera.

Hopin Guides/Info

• Hopin Website
• Resolving Frequent Issues

 Equipment Recommendations

• Webcam Buying Guide
• Microphone Buying Guide